LeBron James takes immaculate care of his body, and the NBA world is in awe of it

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Heading into the 15th season of his NBA career, at 32 years old, LeBron James is going to have to carry even more weight for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With the departure of Kyrie Irving and the injury to Isaiah Thomas, James will have to take on more playmaking and perhaps even more scoring for the Cavs.

And amazingly, there’s little concern about how James will handle it.

The NBA has never seen a player like James — a 6-foot-8 physical force, with a high basketball IQ, and few weaknesses in his game. Making him even rarer is longevity. His talent and athleticism is still unmatched, even in what should be the back-half of his prime. Last season, his 14th in the NBA, James averaged career-highs in rebounds and assists per game while shooting above his career averages from the field and three.

James’ sustained excellence boils down to his unrivaled work ethic, and specifically, the care he gives to his body.

Anyone with a relationship with James says he takes immaculate care of his body. Kevin Durant once described James’ dedication to his health to Bill Simmons.

“One thing I learned about LeBron, I worked out with him, LeBron takes care of his body,” Durant said. “He knows that in order for him to play that long, his body has to be up. He has to keep that in shape. Like, he works on his body, like, religiously.” Durant said while James works on his skills, much of his time is dedicated to staying in tip-top shape.

James’ longevity is even more incredible when considering the tremendous workload he’s already carried during his career. James has made the playoffs in 12 of his 14 seasons and is currently on a streak of seven straight Finals appearances. He hasn’t had a season that ended before June since 2010. He’s logged the 28th-most regular season minutes in NBA history and is second all-time in playoff minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.

Former teammate Mike Miller told Bleacher Report’s David Cassilo in 2016 that James treats his fitness and health like an investment, one that will surely pay off down the line.

“Where a lot of people don’t do it, he puts a lot of money behind taking care of his body,” Miller said. “A lot of people think it’s a big expense, but that big expense has allowed him to make a lot more money for a long period of time.”

According to Cassilo, James was one of the first players with a cryochamber. He gets massages several times a week.

In 2015, Ken Berger pulled back the curtains on James’ body preparation for CBS, reporting that after games, James does everything from drinking electrolyte-rich drinks, taking ice baths, and receiving electro-stimulation, to wearing compression sleeves and tights on flights to keep his blood flowing.

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Even teammates, the people around James every day, are amazed by James’ reservoir of energy and athleticism.

Iman Shumpert, while speaking to Complex this summer, said James often participates in dunk contests with him, throwing the ball off the wall, going through the legs, and more.

“We’ll be in the middle of warming up, and ‘Bron will,” Shumpert said, cutting himself off and imitating a windmill dunk. Shumpert said he’ll ask, “‘Bro, you warm already? Don’t you got three kids? … You don’t feel that in your knees kinda?'”

Shumpert continued, saying James prioritizes rest, recovery, and health over everything else.

“He just takes care of his body,” Shumpert said. “He’s got his trainers there. He put that ice on right after the game, he gonna sit there. Like people may think it’s diva-ish, but that man will get his treatment and be late. ‘I’ll be late to this event, even though y’all paid me all this money to be here. Because I gotta do everything I gotta do to make sure I preserve my body so I can do this tomorrow.'”

In 2015, James had arguably the biggest physical setback of his career. In the middle of January, with both he and the Cavs struggling, James took two weeks off to rehab his back which had been giving him problems. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst later reported that James had received anti-inflammatory shots on his back and the Cavs wanted him to take time off to recover.

As Richard Jefferson told Simmons on a podcast, when he arrived in Cleveland in 2015, James’ back was still giving him problems. Jefferson said he recommended “biomechanics,” core strengthening, to James, and he believes it’s taken James’ career to a new level.

By the looks of it, James is still into it:

It’s unclear how much longer James can continue to play at this level, but thus far, there’s been no indication that he’s close to slowing down.

James hasn’t come out and said he wants to play into his 40s, a la Tom Brady, but it’s not hard to imagine him considering the possibility. Both players are maniacal about taking care of their bodies, and as a result, both are on top of their sports.